cover image Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not

Elizabeth Lowell. Avon Books, $7.99 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-380-76759-5

Lowell's (Untamed) latest is packed with dramatic action and emotional upheaval, but weak characterizations mean it's still not that gripping. Popular country singer and Wyoming native Alana Reeves has been in love with Rafe Winter, her childhood neighbor, for years, but when he is pronounced dead after a dangerous Army mission in Central America, she is persuaded to marry her singing partner and move to Los Angeles to further her career. This loveless marriage comes to an abrupt end when Alana's husband is killed, and she is severely injured, during a hiking vacation in Wyoming, an episode so traumatic that Alana can't remember anything about it. After fleeing to Oregon, she is lured back to Wyoming by her brother and discovers Rafe is still alive and still in love with her after all. But whatever happened to her during the week she's forgotten has left her deeply afraid of men. Rafe is determined to help her get her memory and her desire back, and the two share some sweetly tender moments. Both protagonists are fairly cardboard, however, vessels for emotional turmoil instead of fully developed characters, which makes Forget Me Not rather forgettable. (Dec.)